WHERE THE WIND BLOWS (2025)

October 23, 2025

Greetings again from the darkness. If the Hallmark Channel produced a Western Romance movie, it would likely look much like this one from writer-director John Schimke, who along with co-writer Mike Maden, adapted the 2009 novel from Caroline Fyffe for the silver screen. Filmed in Montana, there are some terrific landscape shots displaying the vastness of the 19th century frontier.

Chase (Trevor Donovan, “90201”) stops into a saloon with his buddy Nathan (C Thomas Howell). While Nathan seems right at home with the booze, women, and gambling, Chase heads up to his room alone, despite the temptations of the ladies. Awakened by shots fired, Chase finds Nathan lying in a pool of blood … the result of cheating at poker. Chase rides off to inform Nathan’s wife – although he softens the tale quite a bit.

As a widow, Jessie (Ashley Elaine) finds herself with a ranch in need of a man and herself in need of a ‘pretend’ husband so that she can finalize an adoption. It turns out that Chase is not only the hunkiest blond cowboy, he’s also the most upstanding and he agrees to help her. Chase also finds many reasons to go shirtless, and Jessie, who sports entirely too much make-up for a prairie woman, doesn’t mind one bit.

Jessie has a loyal friend in town named Mrs. Hollyhock (Michelle Hurd, “The Glades”), and she’s also being stalked by the required villain drifter (Rob Mayes) … a man who is quite the contrast to our hero, Chase.  There is little doubt where this one is headed, and there are few, if any, twists or surprises along the way. Only the visuals of the setting prevent this one from being total cornball, however, these days we should be thankful for any story about a decent man who treats others well.

In select theaters on OnDemand beginning October 24, 2025

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

REAGAN (2024)

November 1, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. The opening credits provide a brief visual reminder of the Cold War, a period mostly forgotten (or never really learned) by those under age 60. Unfortunately, the intro is about as complete as a tweet would be today, so it doesn’t work as a history lesson for those who don’t already know. The same could be said for this biopic from director Sean McNamara (VINDICTA, 2023). For those wondering why so many idolize former President Ronald Reagan and cherish those years under his leadership, McNamara’s film serves up a tribute to the man who was elected as the 40th President of the United States. Think of this as an airbrushed look back, as most of the blemishes have been erased.

Screenwriter Howard Klausner (SPACE COWBOYS, 2000) adapted Paul Kengor’s 2006 book, “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism”. Dennis Quaid stars as Reagan and expertly captures some of the familiar mannerisms of the man who had numerous nicknames throughout his life: “Dutch” (from his mom), “The Gipper” (from his movie, KNUTE ROCKNE, ALL AMERICAN), “Rawhide” (his Secret Service handle), and “The Great Communicator” (for his ability to connect with folks during speeches). 

The film opens on Reagan’s 1981 speech to the AFL-CIO as he’s telling one of his patented jokes. He then proceeds out of the building where the sequence mixes in actual footage of him taking a bullet from close range … a shot that nearly took his life. The shooter (Hinkley) is not mentioned by name here. Not told in complete chronological order, McNamara does outline Reagan’s Midwest upbringing, including his stint as a lifeguard. Handsome and charming, we see how Reagan capitalized on both to become an actor, spokesperson, SAG President, and Governor of California before taking that biggest step to the White House.

Oscar winner Jon Voight plays Viktor Petrovich, a Russian KGB Agent, who provides the structure of the film by progressively debriefing rising Russian politician Andrei Novikov (Alex Sparrow) on the decades of observation and research conducted on Reagan. This runs us through Reagan’s first marriage to actress Jane Wyman (Mena Suvari) and subsequent marriage to his true love, Nancy Davis (Penelope Ann Miller). Ronnie and Nancy were devoted to each other and the movie emphasizes this, while not delving too deeply into Ms. Reagan’s propensity to get involved in many White House meetings.

The arms control negotiations between Reagan and the Russians are fairly interesting. First, it’s Leonid Brezhnev (Robert Davi) followed by a few Russian Premier deaths, until Mikhail Gorbachev (Oleg Krupa) arrives, leading to some colorful discussions culminating with Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech. It’s through Voight’s character that we learn the Russians had their own nickname for Reagan: “The Crusader”. Many recognizable names of the era are present and played by familiar actors. These include Dan Lauria as Tip O’Neill, an unrecognizable and rarely seen these days Leslie-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher, an unrecognizable and rarely seen these days Jennifer O’Neill as Nelle Reagan, Xander Berkeley as George Schulz, C Thomas Howell as Caspar Weinberger, and Pat Boone as Rev. George Otis (in a scene with an actor portraying singer Pat Boone).

There is no emphasis on either Bonzo the Chimp or the Iran-Contra affair, but it does touch on Reagan’s primary loss to Gerald Ford, the debates with Carter and Mondale, and we see the ever-present jellybeans. De-aging technology is used, especially obvious on Jon Voight, and the “Evil Empire” and Star Wars defense system have their moments. It’s a very favorable and complimentary look at a man who led a fascinating and interesting life before Alzheimer’s forced him to take a final horseback ride across his beloved ranch, and issue a statement to the public. While it won’t be mistaken as hard-hitting journalism, Ronald Reagan’s life is worthy of celebration and the film does just that.

Beginning November 1, 2024, it’s available Video on Demand, and on Blu-ray beginning November 19, 2024

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

RIDE (2024)

June 13, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. Historically, we’ve been treated to Western movies that were heavy on tense gunfights and macho morality … white hats vs black hats. However, if you’ve been paying attention these past few years, you’ve likely noticed a shift in tone. Westerns have become more attuned to the sensibilities of real people, and less enamored with quick-draws. This may be the directorial debut of writer-director Jake Allyn, but it’s not his first rodeo (couldn’t resist). Allyn wrote the screenplay and starred in NO MAN’S LAND (2020), which was directed by his brother Conor. For this film, he co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Plasse, his co-star in “The Baxters”. Both men also play brothers here.

A grizzled C Thomas Howell (contrasted with his fresh-faced Ponyboy in THE OUTSIDERS, 1983) stars as John Hawkins, a former rodeo star, who walked away from his career when his wife Monica (Annabeth Gish, MYSTIC PIZZA, 1988), now the local Sheriff, birthed the first of their three kids. Son Noah (co-writer Plasse) is a clean-cut, straight arrow young man who has steered away from the bull riding tradition set by his father, his grandfather Al (Forrie J Smith, “Yellowstone”), and his brother Peter (director Allyn). Early on, we see Peter, now the black sheep of the family, being released after a four-year prison sentence. Most of the urgent attention is paid to eleven-year-old Virginia (Zia Carlock), whose cancer can only be treated at a specialty oncology center. This life-saving treatment comes with a $160,000 price tag and a financial and emotional burden on her father John that may be more than he can handle.

One of the first things to notice about this is how beautifully it’s filmed by cinematographer Keith J Leman. The rodeo scenes are particularly striking as nothing is overdone or over-dramatized. John and Peter struggle to re-connect, but it’s Virginia’s treatment that helps the two stubborn men find common ground. Either would do whatever necessary to save her. For John, this means begging the bank for another loan, selling off his beloved horses, and finally coming to grips with the need to break the moral code by which he has always lived his life. Peter’s drug habit provides an opportunity, and of course, things don’t go according to plan. Soon, Sheriff Monica is working a case that may force her into her own moral choice between family and the law. Simultaneously, Deputy Dickons (Scott Reeves), who is clearly a bit too close to his boss, is eager to bring down John and Peter.

All of this takes place in Stephenville, Texas, known as the Cowboy Capitol of the world (although it’s filmed in Tennessee). The ‘8 seconds’ on a bull ride are stressed a few times, yet mostly what we have is a serious family drama filled with guilt and desperation. On the downside, the script doesn’t quite meet the standard of the tone or acting. Some polishing could have elevated the entire film, and a bit less eyeliner on Allyn and reduced lipstick on young Carlock would have helped. Still, C Thomas Howell and Forrie J Smith are particularly excellent in their roles. The film makes an obvious statement on the health care and insurance industries, and the oft-repeated line, “I’m praying for you” is meant to sound as hollow as the sentiment can sometimes come across. This is a world filmmaker and actor Allyn feels comfortable with, and he does a pretty nice job with it.

In select theaters and ON DEMAND beginning June 14, 2024

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

DON’T PASS ME BY (2013)

February 2, 2014
dont pass me by Greetings again from the darkness. A very low-budget indie done in the vignette style with multiple characters and story lines is a very ambitious undertaking for first time writers (Rachel Noll, Katy K Burton) teamed with a first time director (Eric Priestley). The inexperience shows, but there is also enough spark here to raise a little interest in the parties involved.

The cast includes the two co-writers, Sean Stone (director Oliver Stone’s son), Nancy Karr (former Laker girls), Elizabeth Izzo, and brief appearances from Keith David, Jake Busey, C Thomas Howell and Jeremy London. Hannah (Ms. Noll) is an artist who is told she is in the final stages of cancer. Danielle (Ms. Burton) is a rising movie star trying to balance her shot at fame with family demands and a personal life. Jill (Ms. Karr) is an aspiring ballet dancer stuck in lousy marriage with a workaholic jerk. Brooke (Ms. Izzo) is a young pregnant girl in desperate need of guidance.

It would be nice if the stories of the four ladies were better intertwined, though the climactic convergence in a diner provides a quick glimpse of what could have been. All of the stories involve the characters attempting to overcome obstacles and re-gain control of their own lives. They have each missed opportunities and are dealing with that crazy thing we all call life … the one thing we don’t want to pass us by.

The film often suffers from heavy-handed melodrama, especially the overly-sentimental songs directing us how to feel at any given moment. But given the low budget and lack of resume from the filmmakers, it’s actually a promising effort.

watch the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBWW4FnF5Ik

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)

July 7, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. The big debate seems to be whether it is too soon for the Spider-Man franchise to be re-booted. It was just 10 years ago when Tobey Maguire first appeared as Spidey and a mere 5 years ago when director Sam Raimi delivered the last leg in his trilogy. Obviously the reason to re-boot starts with “doll” and ends with “ars”. It is more interesting to decide if this is an improvement over the previous series.

We must first look at Spider-man himself. Played here by Andrew Garfield, we get a more thoughtful Peter Parker and a more athletic Spidey version than we had with Maguire. As usual, my pet peeve is that Garfield is a 28 year old man cast as an 18 year old high school science nerd. Looking past that, Garfield manages to pull off the stunts without looking too much like a real super hero. So that’s a plus. Luckily for him, his scenes with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) work because Ms. Stone is such a super talent. She makes everything she is in, just a little bit better.

Next we look at the villain. Rhys Ifans plays scientist Dr Curt Connors, who transforms into Lizard in the quest to regenerate growth of his lost right arm. He was once partners with Peter’s dad in their research into reptilian genetics. While Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) from Spider-Man 2 is still my favorite villain in the series, it’s clear that Lizard is certainly capable of frightening the younger viewers, so parents beware. It should also be noted that Dr Curt Connors was played by Dylan Baker in the Sam Raimi trilogy.

 Lastly, we look at the story. This take is much more personal and provides detail to the backstory of Peter Parker. We learn how (but not exactly why) he lost his parents (Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz) and see how he came to be raised by Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen). We see how Peter and Gwen Stacy come together and learn that she is every bit his equal intellectually, if not a notch above. Casting Dennis Leary as Gwen’s Police Chief dad works as Leary and Garfield exchange barbs at the table. Peter is still a photographer, but this time for the school instead of The Daily Bugle … whose logo makes an appearance on TV.

Director Marc Webb was somehow selected for this despite his only feature film being (500) Days of Summer … not exactly a film known for its CGI. Admittedly, the CGI used here is less rushed and cluttered than in previous Spidey films and many of the stunts look to be real stunts instead of the fake stuff. The closing credit cookie clearly sets up the sequel, though I can only guess that the shadowy figure is Norman Osborn. That’s still up for debate.

** NOTE: fear not, we get the now expected Stan Lee cameo

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you are a fan of comic book heroes and simply enjoy the bigger than life films, even if it’s not at the level of The Avengers (it’s still better than Green Lantern)

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are limiting yourself to one super hero movie this year … if so, make it The Dark Knight Rises

watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson